Comparison of Dielectric Breakdown Voltages for Composites with Different Resin Types

Dinesh kumar Dhunde 1, W. Elliott Hutchcraft 1, Richard K. Gordon 1, Ellen Lackey 2 and James G. Vaughan 2
Department of Electrical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677- 1848, USA ddhunde@olemiss.edu, eeweh@olemiss.edu, eegordon@olemiss.edu, melackey@olemiss.edu and mejgv@olemiss.edu Abstract: The significance of dielectric breakdown voltage of different pultruded composites comprised of unidirectional E-glass reinforcement with different matrix resins, denoted as epoxy / E-glass, polyester / E-glass, and phenolic/ E-glass which are often used as insulators is reported. For comparison, the dielectric breakdown voltage of a polyurethane matrix composite with hybrid reinforcement of unidirectional E-glass and basalt was also evaluated. A breakdown voltage measurement analysis was done under both typical room temperature and humidity conditions and under moisture content conditions. In a quasi-uniform field configuration, the breakdown was mainly governed by the major flaws at the sample scale; this was demonstrated as the phenolic matrix sample that contained voids in the matrix exhibited lower breakdown voltage than the composites with lower void content. The phenolic/Eglass samples with the higher void content absorbed more water and, consequently, passed more current during breakdown testing. Keywords: Epoxy, polyester, polyurethane, phenolic, resin, dielectric breakdown voltage, composites, flashover, corona, insulator, absorption, immersion, step-by-step rise, electrodes and voltage withstand.
1 2

1. Introduction The safe operation of any electrical energy transmitting device depends on the reliability of its components. Their reliability depends primarily on the performance of the insulating structures they contain. At present time, due to the reduction of dimensions of the equipment and thenceforth the increase of the heat density to be evacuated, the insulating materials should have the best possible initial properties including a high dielectric breakdown voltage and thermo mechanical properties [1]. The dielectric breakdown voltage is a very fast mechanism which is not preceded by any increase of the temperature. The changing in the structure results directly from the action of the constraints due to the electric field. Two theories have been proposed to explain the dielectric breakdown [2]. The first one (called intrinsic breakdown) considers that the breakdown occurs when the instability of the electronic current appears in the dielectric. According to the second theory (called breakdown by avalanches), the breakdown criterion is assumed to be the electric field for which the electronic multiplication process reach inadmissible proportions [2]. The material ceases to be a dielectric and then it becomes conducting. Among the insulating materials, epoxy, polyester and polyurethane based composites are widely used due to their ability to withstand high electric fields, which limits short-term breakdowns and the environmental stresses that might lead to the initiation of partial discharges and electrical trees resulting in the breakdown of the insulator. The partial discharges are the result of local enhancements of the electrical field within the inclusions or gaseous cavities which can be present in the material. They appear

when the applied voltage reaches a threshold value corresponding to the Paschen minimum of the gas in presence (air or others) [2]. Their action can lead to chemical and other radical transformations leading to the failure of the material in consequence of mechanisms such as the propagation through the material of microscopic channels, the cumulative heating due to the discharges. The partial discharge due to the gaseous ionization leads to the initiation of electrical treeing [2]. Each irregularity (protrusion) at the insulating wall (interface) of a cavity (void) favors the fast propagation of treeing and leads to the breakdown. The partial discharges are linked to the electrical breakdown of composites, as a fact the electrical tree growing initially in front of the electrode, leading to the creation of a channel. Then the combination of electrical and thermomechanical stresses allows the tree to grow up to breakdown [3]. It is therefore a major interest to understand and to predict the structural changes of these kinds of materials and the influence of these changes on the dielectric strength. Polymeric composite materials such as the ones tested in this study are used in a variety of applications requiring electrical insulation such as safety ladders, tool handles, and equipment housing. 2. Breakdown Voltage Measurements The tests were performed at room temperature under an ac voltage supplied by a 50 kV, 60 Hz transformer. The breakdown voltages were determined as the average of three or four tests carried out in contact mode in a step-by-step test [4]. The specimen was immersed in mineral oil to prevent surface discharges and flashovers. The breakdown voltage measurements were performed under uniform fields, respectively in cylinder/cylinder (Fig. 1) electrode arrangements.

Fig. 1. Basic Setup for Testing

Fig. 2. Oil Bath with mineral oil for Testing

The electrodes were made of brass with a diameter of 25 mm, thickness of 25 mm and edges rounded to 3.2 mm for the 1 inch samples. Mineral oil whose breakdown voltage is approximately 26 kV/2mm was used in the oil bath for reducing the effect of flashover [5]. Also gasket sealant which is a 100% silicone material was used for sealing the electrodes bottom in order to avoid sparks when high voltage is applied. Under quasi uniform field, the electric field E associated to the electrical breakdown is calculated as follow [3]:

E=

V (1) d

The electric field mainly depends on the breakdown voltage and electrode gap. For the breakdown test, all samples were cut by using a diamond blade to make sure that the samples were 2 inch long. The samples were nominally 2 1 0.125 inch. The specimens were also subjected to moisture conditioning according to ASTM D570, by which we can determine the water absorption rate [6]. The samples were moisture contained by immersing in boiling water for 120 4 minutes. The weights were recorded using an analytical balance capable of reading 0.0001 g, before and after the boiling process. The average percent weight increase for each sample type is shown in Table 1. Table 1. Average Percent Weight Increase for Samples after Moisture Conditioning
Resin System Average conditioned weight (g) Average wet weight (g) Standard Dev. (conditioned) (g) Standard Deviation (wet) (g) Average percentage weight increase

Epoxy Polyester 1 Polyester 2 Phenolic Polyurethane

9.04 9.1 9.17 8.29 8.69

9.04 9.11 9.18 8.68 8.69

0.007 0.005 0.005 0.021 0.107

0.008 0.005 0.005 0.001 0.107

0.009 0.108 0.119 4.69 0.007

Results and Discussions Dielectric breakdown measurements are shown in Figures 3 and 4. These results demonstrate the importance of the matrix of a polymeric composite and the importance of low void content. As seen in Figure 3, the epoxy /E-glass composite and the polyester /E-glass composites had a significantly higher breakdown field than did the phenolic /E-glass composite. As the example micrographs seen in Figures 5 and 6 show, phenolic matrix composites often exhibit higher void content than do similarly manufactured polyester or epoxy matrix composites due to the nature of the curing reaction for the phenolic resin. It is expected that the voids typically seen in such a phenolic matrix/E-glass composite contributed to the low electric breakdown field for this type of composite. Manufacturing methods that resulted in polyester/Eglass composites or epoxy/E-glass composites with high void content would also be expected to have a lower breakdown field than a similar composite with a low void content. Therefore, it is seen that both the constituent materials as well as the characteristics of the fabricated part must be considered when describing the dielectric properties of composite materials. The influence of moisture content on the electrical breakdown field and measured current of the materials was evaluated to quantify the influence of changes due to moisture content. As seen in Figures 3 and 4, significant differences were not seen in the breakdown field for these composites after moisture exposure; however, significant differences were seen in the current for the phenolic/E-glass composite after moisture exposure. The phenolic samples with the absorbed moisture passed significant current prior to dielectric breakdown. Prior to moisture exposure, the initial current recorded for the phenolic/E-glass composite was 0.1 mA and the current reached 1 mA at breakdown. After moisture exposure, the initial current recorded for the phenolic/E-glass composite reached 22 mA and the current was 40 mA at breakdown. According to OSHA, the human body can perceive current at 1 mA, a slight shock is felt at 5

mA, a painful shock can be felt from 6 30 mA, and current above 50 mA can cause extreme pain and even death. It can be seen from Table 1 that the phenolic/E-glass samples absorbed significantly more moisture during the 2 hour exposure to boiling water than the other composites. The relatively high void content of the phenolic/E-glass composites allowed the water to more easily enter the phenolic/E-glass samples. The low level of moisture absorption that occurred during the moisture exposure conditioning of the polyester and epoxy samples, as shown in Table 1, explains why significant changes in dielectric breakdown or current were not seen for these materials after the moisture exposure. This demonstrates that longer term moisture exposure must occur before moisture absorption levels are sufficient to affect dielectric breakdown voltage and current conduction for this type of polymeric composite material with low void content. As another comparison, a polyurethane matrix composite with unidirectional E-glass and basalt reinforcement was also tested to evaluate the effect of the presence of the basalt fiber on the breakdown voltage and current. Basalt fiber is formed from volcanic lava and offers somewhat better mechanical properties than E-glass; however, basalt fiber is much less commonly used than E-glass. As seen in Table 1, the polyurethane/E-glass and basalt samples had very low moisture absorption. The moisture absorption level was comparable to that of the epoxy/E-glass samples, and the breakdown voltages were also similar to those of the epoxy/E-glass samples, with the breakdown field for the polyurethane/E-glass and basalt samples averaging in the range of 8.4 kV/mm for samples without any moisture content and 8.0 kV/mm for samples with moisture content.. The current for the epoxy/E-glass and the polyurethane/E-glass and basalt samples were also similar. This suggests that for samples with low void content and relatively high fiber volume, the substitution of basalt fiber for E-glass fiber does not drastically change the dielectric breakdown properties of the composite material.

AverageBreakdownFieldswithout MoistureContent Epoxy Polyester2 15 Field(kV/mm) Field(kV/mm) 10 10 5 0 Polyester1 Phenolic

AverageBreakdownFieldswith MoistureContent Epoxy 15 Polyester1 Polyester2 Phenolic

ResinSystem

ResinSystem

Fig 3.

Fig 4.

Error bars in the graphs show the standard deviation (S.D) for the tested samples. Fig. 3. Plot showing the average breakdown fields of 1 samples without any moisture content. Fig. 4. Plot showing the average breakdown fields of 1 samples with moisture content.

Fig. 5. SEM Micrograph showing void content typical for the phenolic/E-glass pultrusion samples. Fig. 6. SEM Micrograph showing void content typical for the polyester/E-glass pultrusion samples. 3. Conclusion The dielectric breakdown voltages of different pultruded composites comprised of different resins with and without moisture effect have been investigated. Results demonstrated that both the constituent materials as well as the characteristics of the fabricated part must be considered when describing the dielectric properties of composite materials. For example, the lower breakdown voltage for the phenolic/E-glass composites that typically exhibits a higher void content than polyester or epoxy composites manufactured using similar methods demonstrates the influence of void content on dielectric breakdown. This analysis demonstrates techniques that can be used to experimentally evaluate the dielectric breakdown voltages for polymeric composites. Finally, it should be noted that this is an initial experimental investigation and was pursued because the composites under investigation had already been manufactured. It is intended by the authors to develop a computer model for the dielectric breakdown phenomena. The data provided here will give initial data to verify the validity of the computational model once it has been developed. Once the model is verified, then use of the model will allow design of composite structures that are able to withstand a certain high voltage without breakdown occurring. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Tim Hall of the Composite Materials Laboratory, James McPhail of the ME Machine Shop, and Martye Hickman from the EE department for their valuable help in the research. References [1] [2] M. Frohlich, Theory of Dielectrics, Oxford University Press, 1949. L. Vouyovitch, N.D. Alberola, L. Flandin, A. Beroual and J-L. Bessede, Dielectric Breakdown of Epoxy-Based Composites: Relative Influence of Physical and Chemical Ageing in IEEE transactions on dielectrics and electrical insulation, 2006, vol. 13, pp. 282-292. R. Bartnikas, Engineering Dielectrics Volume IIB, Electrical Properties of Solid Insulating Material: Measurement Techiniques, 1987. ASTM D 149 97a, Standard Test Method for Dielectric Breakdown Voltage and Dielectric Strength of Solid Electrical Insulating Materials at Commercial Power Frequencies. ASTM D 570 95, Standard Test Method for Water Absorption of Plastics. ASTM D 1711 83, Standard Definitions of Terms Relating to Electrical Insulation.

[3] [4] [5] [6]